1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention is systems and techniques for transplanting corneas.
2. Background
The traditional technique used for performing a penetrating keratoplasty involves creating a full thickness cylindrical cut in both the recipient and donor corneas to resect corneal tissue. The resected donor tissue is then grafted into the recipient cornea, with the graft generally taking place in the same operating room and within minutes of the resection.
The advent of the femtosecond surgical laser has already significantly changed the this traditional technique. The laser, unlike manual instruments, can be used to create full thickness corneal incisions, particularly by making intrastromal cuts in tissue that was previously inaccessible to manual instruments, thereby resecting corneal tissue for transplantation. One drawback of using the femtosecond surgical laser is that it can take up valuable space within the operating room. As an alternative, the femtosecond surgical laser could be placed in a surgical preparation room, but then extreme care must be taken not to expose the internal tissues of the cornea to contaminants during the process of transferring the recipient and the donor tissue to the operating room for completion of the procedure.
Transfer of the donor tissue is not a significant challenge, as the tissue may be placed in a sealed container for transfer. Transfer of the recipient, however, poses a greater challenge.